Delivery load changer



y 1954 M. SCHMIDT ET AL 2,684,242

' DELIVERY LOAD CHANGER Filed April 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l fie 1 I INVENTORS Merav Sewn/07' By Zea/mp0 [fivwnua y 1954 M. SCHMIDT -r AL 2,684,242

DELIVERY LOAD CHANGER Filed April 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TORS MORTON SCI/MID 7' l6. 3 BY [Ea/vamp EPW134400 Patented July 20, 1954 UNITED STATE$ FATENT OFFICE DELIVERY LOAD CHANGER Application April 14, 1950, Serial No. 155,882

6 Claims.

the sheets collected thereupon dropped onto the new main support.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of load changing equipment of such character that delivery of sheets may be maintained without interruption during the change from one main load support to the next.

Another object is the provision of a load changer which shall be adapted for application as an attachment to delivery pile frames, and which may be swung out of the way when not in active use.

Another object is the provision of an auxiliary pile support comprising a series of cantilever fingers which may be withdrawn past gate pickets in order to deposit collected sheets onto a main pile support.

Another object is the provision of a carriage for an auxiliary pile support running toward and away from operative position upon a track, with cooperating means on the track and carriage for insuring equal travel of the carriage on the two rails of the track.

Still another object is the provision of means mounted at one end of the frame for guiding the free ends of the cantilever fingers onto a support at that end of the frame.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as we proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, we have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away, illustrating the auxiliary pile support in operative position and an unloaded main pile support in position to receive sheets from the auxiliary support.

Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in section on the line 2-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the movable track sections with the carriage and auxiliary pile support swung upwardly out of the way of the operator and showing the main pile support in approximately its fully loaded condition.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental plan view on a larger scale of the carriage and one of the auxiliary pile supporting fingers mounted on the carriage, the view being taken substantially on the line 24 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings I have shown the invention applied to a delivery pile frame comprising overhead frame members, one of which is illustrated at it, these overhead members being supported on uprights ii and a pair of posts [2. The frame members carry pairs of sheaves l3 and I 4 over which extend chains or cables 15, i6 that run to a winding drum, not shown, and are attached at their free ends to bars [1 upon which may be removably mounted a main pile support It. This frame should be understood to be disposed at the delivery end of a printing machine or the like from which sheets are carried by gripper bars I9 mounted upon endless chains indicated at in Fig. 1. The lower runs of the chains travel toward the left in Fig. 1. The sheet grippers upon the gripper bars are opened by conventional means as they approach the strippers 2| and the sheet is deposited upon the top of the pile, its

forward edge engaging gate pickets 22.

"bolt 24. On this shelf means there are mounted short track sections 25. Long track sections 26 rest at their rear ends upon the top of shelf means 23 in line with the short track sections 25, while near their forward ends these track sections 25 are mounted on a stand 21 which is preferably bolted to the fioor of the pressroom. This stand may consist of triangular end frames such as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 and transverse braces 28, Fig. 2. At the tops of the end frames there are bearing blocks 29 in which is rotatably mounted a shaft 33. Near the ends of shaft 30 a pair of metal sleeves 3! are secured to the shaft by means of setscrews 32, and each of these sleeves is fastened by means of a screw 33 to one of the long track sections 26. The stand 2? is spaced well forward from the frame posts H, as indicated in Fig. 1, in order to provide plenty of room for an operator between the frame and the stand.

The track sections 26 are rigidly connected near their rear ends by a tie rod 34, and since the shaft 30 constitutes a rigid connection between them near their forward ends this movable portion of the track is a rigid unit. The track sections 26 have lower flanges each of which supports a rail 35 and a rack 36 both of which may be secured to the flange by any suitable means. There is also an upper guard rail 31 which may be narrower than the bottom flange, The short track sections 25 may be similar in cross section to the long sections 25, although they do not necessarily have racks.

At the outer extremities of track sections 28 there are preferably mounted counterweights 39 which tend to swing the track sections 26 to the upright position illustrated in Fig. 3 and to hold them in that position. -t will be appreciated however that these weights may be omitted or attached to the track elsewhere and the track sections swung downwardly instead of upwardly if desired. In order to hold the adjacent ends of the long and short track sections together in alignment a spring latch M) or the like may be provided.

A carriage is mounted to run back and forth on the track sections 25 :and 26. It comprises a pair of side bars 12 connected by a cross brace 63 and a tie rod M provided with a key slot by means of which it is keyed to the side bars so as-to be rigid therewith. One or more intermediate braces 55 may connect the brace 33 and the tierod M. In the forward ends of side bars 32 there are needle bearings 43 in which are-.rotatably mounted a shaft ii. Pinions it are keyed to this shaft and mesh with the racks 38 at opposite sides of the track. On the ends of this shaft outside the bars it there are wheels dd which run upon. the rails 35. Similar wheels iii are rotatably mounted on the tie rod Mn These two pairs of wheels support the weight of the carriage and parts carried thereby. The remote ends of the track sections 25 and 26 are closed so as to limit the travel of the carriage in either direction.

On the tire rod i there are mounted at intervals a series of fingers 52 which are held against turning movement on the tie'rod bykeys, not shown, fitting in thekey slot of the tie rod and in registering slots in the fingers. The fingers may be adjusted crosswise of the carriage and held in adjusted position by means of setscrews 53. These fingers '2 constitute an auxiliary pile support having a cantilever mounting on the .carriage. The fingers as shown in Fig. 2'straddle the gate pickets On the frame uprights ii there is mounted a transverse ledge which has an inclined surface 5d and ;a horizontal surface As the carriage travels rearwardly to operative position the .free endsof the'fingers in case they should-sag somewhat, will engage the inclined surface 55 andbe guidedupwardly thereby onto the horizontal surface 55 of the ledge. In this operative position therefore both ends of all fingers have a stable. support.

Operation.Assuming that a given main pile support it is fully loaded, as in Fig. 3, the operator swings the track sections 26 down to the Fig. l'position and operates latches ii] to hold. the parts in that position against the action of counter-balancing weights 39. He then causes the chains is and it to be lowered rapidly until the top of the pile of sheets reaches a lever below that of the track, whereupon he quickly pushes the carriage rearwardly causing the fingers 52 to move into the frame and onto the ledge 5d, 55.

Thesheets delivered thereafter will be received upon and supported by the fingers 52 constituting the auxiliary pile support. The operator then lowers the chains !5,' l6 further-until the loaded support l8 rests upon the floor after which he in-' serts a truck beneath the support, wheels it away and mounts a new support on the bars ll. Now he causes the chains to be wound upon their winding drum until the main support comes directly beneath the auxiliary support, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Next he wheels the carriage rapidly to the left as viewed in the drawings. lhe gate pickets 22 hold back the sheetscollected on the fingers 5?. and they drop onto the empty support it, after which any conventional means, not shown, for lowering the support an increment at a time may be put in operation. The operator mayncw release the latches 4t and permit the movable sections'of the track to swing upwardly to the. Fig. 3 position where they remain until time-for the next pile changing operation.

Having thusdescribed our invention, we claim:

1. In combination, a delivery frame, shelf means fixed upon said frame at one end thereof, a pair of short track sections mounted on said shelf means, a pair of long track sections, a stand spaced from said frame on which said long track sections are hingedly supported near their outer ends, the inner ends being supported on said shelf in alignment with said short track sections, a carriage adapted to run on said track sections, a series of elongated fingers mounted on said carriage and projecting therefrom parallel with said tracks, and means at the opposite end of said frame for receiving and supporting the free ends of said fingers when said carriage is moved into position on said short track sections.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for supporting the free ends of said fingers has an inclinedportion merging with a horizontal portion, whereby the forwardly moving fingers upon striking said inclined portion will be deflected upwardly onto said horizontal portion.

3. In sheet delivery apparatus, a delivery frame, shelf means fixed upon said frame at one end thereof, a pair. of short track sections mounted on said shelf means, a stand spaced from said frame, a pair of long track sections pivotally mounted on saidstand to swing about an axis transverse to the track sections, said long track sections when swung to a horizontal position aligning with said short sections and resting upon said shelf, a carriage adapted to run upon said track sections, a series of elongated fingers mounted on said carriage and projecting therefrom parallel to said tracks, means at the opposite end of said frame for receiving and supporting the free ends of said fingers, said long track sections having counterbalancing means adapted to hold said long sections with the carriage and fingers in an upright position, and latch means for locking the adjacent ends of said long and short track sections together to hold said long track sections in horizontal position.

i. In sheet delivery apparatus, a frame, a main pile support mounted therein for up and down movement, a carriage, an auxiliary pile support having a cantilever mounting on said carriage, a stand spaced from said frame, a track mounted on said stand to swing on a horizontal transverse hinge "mounting, said carriage being movable upon said track for causing said auxiliary support to move-into and out of said frame,.stop

means at the outer end of the track to limit oarriage travel, said auxiliary support being adapted to hold sheets delivered while said main pile support is being unloaded and returned to-sheet' receiving position, whereby said carriage may. .be

carriage and auxiliary support swung into upright position with the track on its hinge mount ing.

5. In sheet delivery apparatus, a frame, a main pile support mounted therein for up and down movement, a carriage, an auxiliary i ile support having a cantilever mounting on said a track or" a length approximately equal to that of said carriage and auxiliary support combined, a stand spaced from said irarne, a transverse hinge mounting for said track on said stand, said oarriage being movable upon said track for causing said auxiliary support to move into and out oi said frame, said auxiliary support being adapted to hold sheets delivered while said main pile sup port is being unloaded and returned to sheet receiving position, whereby said carriage may be drawn to th outer end or" said track and said carriage and auxiliary support swung into upright position with track: on said hinge mounting.

6. In sheet delivery apparatus for use with the delivery of a sheet handling machine, a pair of tracks, a carriage adapted to run on said tracks, a series of elongated fingers mounted on said carriage and projecting therefrom parallel with said tracks, a stand mounted exteriorly of said delivery for supporting said tracks in substantially horizontal position, said carriage being movable on said tracks substantially horizontally toward and away from sheet receiving position, said stand ineluding a pivot member a out which said may he swung into substantially vertical position, and means for retaining the carriage on the tracks when the latter are in vertical position.

Number Name Date 451,168 Cottrell Apr. 28, 1891 1,210,168 Beyer Dec. 26, 1916 1,211,!25 Leov Jan. 9, 1917 1,699,284 English at al. Jan. 15, 1929 2,0110% Graf et ai M Oct. 15, 1935 2,205,767 Lamb et a1 June 25, 1940 2,213,735 Jirousek Sept. 3, 1245) 2,414,059 Powers Jan. '1, 1947 2,521,075 Matthews Sept. 5, i950 

